Multi-hulled boat

ABSTRACT

A boat comprising two or more hulls and a deck structure interconnecting said hulls at a point approximately midway between the top and the bottom of each hull so as to permit such boat to float and operate effectively when inverted and when upright. The sail for propelling the boat may be removably attached to the deck structure so that it may be easily relocated to permit operation of the boat in the upright and in the inverted position.

United States atent Padwick 1451 Apr. 18, 1972 54] MULTl-HULLED BOAT 3,507,240 4/1970 Butler ..114/39 [72] Inventor: Henry Padwick 3210 Forest Hill, Apt FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 104, 247, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Filed: 0&11969 1 000607 8/ 965 Great Britain ll4/66 5 [21] Appl. No.: 862,803 Primary Examiner-Milton Buchler Assistant Examiner-F. K. Yee 52 user ..l14/39,114/61, 114/102 AmmeyRaymnd [5H Int-Cl sx Field ofSearch ..lI4/61,39,56, 66.5 F, 102, [57] ABSTRACT 114/.5 R; 9/1. 6, 3,4, 11 A, 11 R, 14; ll5/3,22, 26

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,570,470 1/1926 Fritsche et a1. ..9/11 A 1,743,396 1/1930 Robertson ..9/11 A 2,712,293 7/1955 OHiggins ..114/61 3,321,784 5/1967 Rasmussen... 14/61 X 3,460,502 8/1969 Carmichael ..l14/61 A boat comprising two or more hulls and a deck structure interconnecting said hulls at a point approximately midway between the top and the bottom of each hull so as to permit such boat to float and operate effectively when inverted and when upright. The sail for propelling the boat may be removably attached to the deck structure so that it may be easily relocated to permit operation of the boat in the upright and in the inverted position.

8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 1- 1912 3,656,445

SHEET 1 OF 2 MAM/W01? I Henry P/wW/(K PATENTEDAPRIBIQYE 3,

SHEET 20F 2 IN VIL'N 1'01: Henry PADWICK MULTI-HULLED BOAT The invention relates to a boat having two or more hulls connected by a deck structure.

This type of construction has been used for years for row boats, sailing boats and power boats. However, it has always been practically impossible to turn them back in the upright position in the water without outside assistance if they happened to capsize.

It is therefore the main feature of the invention to provide a multi-hulled boat that will sail just as effectively either upright or invented and thus contribute greatly to the safety of such boats.

The boat, in accordance with the invention, comprises two or more hulls and a deck structure interconnecting said hulls at a point approximately midway between the top and the bottom of each hull so as to permit said boat to float and operate effectively when inverted and when upright.

The boat, in accordance with the invention, also includes means for propelling the same which are removably attached to the deck structure or to the hulls so that they may be easily relocated to permit operation of the boat in the upright and in the inverted position.

The invention will now be disclosed in detail in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating, by way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the invention, and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a sailing boat encompassing the basic concept of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-section taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of the boat in the upright positron;

FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of the boat in the inverted position after having capsized; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a front view of the boat after the mast thereof has been relocated for operation of the boat in the inverted position.

For the purpose of illustration, a sailing boat has been shown in the drawings although the hull configuration in accordance with the basic concept of the invention may be used for row boats or power boats as well.

In FIG. I, there is shown a boat made of two hulls l0 and 12 interconnected by a deck structure including two tubular cross-member 14 and 16 with a deck area made of netting 18 attached to cross members 14 and 16. It is to be understood, however, that any type of deck structure could be used.

A mast 20 holding a sail 22 is mounted on front crossmember 16 and held in the upright position by means of two lateral ropes or wires 24 and by a front rope or wire 26 attached to a cross rope or wire 28 secured to the front ends of hulls and 12. The ropes or wires 24 and at least one end of rope or wire 28 are removably attached to the boat so that they may be easily undone when it becomes necessary to relocate the mast as it will be explained later on in the description.

The boat is also equipped with sail control devices such'as a boom 30 and a mainsheet 32 as commonly known in the art.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is illustrated a cross-section of a hull in accordance with the invention. The configuration of the cross-section of each hull 10 or 12 is that of two scalene triangle ABC having a common side AC lying in a central horizontal plane X-X. In addition, the ratios of the dimensions AO, OC and OB are 1:2:3 as illustrated by a, 2a and 3a respectively. It is to be understood however that other hull configurations are envisaged and that the dimensions given are for the purpose of illustration of a preferred embodiment of the invention only.

The hulls may be made of any suitable material such as steel, wood or plastic and may be reinforced by longitudinal members 34 and transversal members 36. The tubular members 14 and 16 are secured to the side walls of the hulls by means of a tubular flange 38 which is screwed or otherwise attached to the side walls of the hulls.

Although the two scalene triangles ABC are shown as being symmetrical about axis X-X, it is to be understood that the height OB of the upper triangle may be less than that of the lower triangle as long as it is high enough to permit the boat to operate when inverted, that is as long as the floatation line remains below the deck structure. In addition, the deck structure does not have to be located in the central horizontal plane through the hulls and may be located higher or lower than the central horizontal plane as long as it remains above the floatation line when the boat is floating in the upright or inverted position.

The mast 20 is mounted by means of a pin 39 on a hinge structure 40 which is made of two parts secured together by bolts not shown. Hinge structure 40 is rotatably mounted on tubular cross-member l6 and prevented from moving sideways by a step bearing 42 positioned on each side thereof and secured to tubular cross-member 16. A pin guide 44 is welded or otherwise secured to one of said bearings 42 and includes a hole therein for receiving a pin 46. Pin 46 protrudes through a corresponding hole 48 in hinge structure 40 for holding such hinge structure in the position illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 wherein the boat is sailing in the upright position.

The operation of the above-described boat will now be disclosed with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings. If the boat capsizes, it will take the position illustrated in FIG. 4 with the mast 20 turned up side down. Since the hulls 10 and 12 extend on both sides of the deck structure, the boat will still be in an operating position provided that the mast 20 is relocated in the upright position. To this effect, the ropes or wires 24 and 28 are undone and pin 46 is withdrawn from hole 48 for releasing the mast from underneath the boat. After having withdrawn pin 46 from hole 48, hinge structure 40 and mast 20 together will be rotated around cross-member 16 to the position illustrated in FIG. 5 and pin 46 inserted into a second hole 50 which is located 180 from hole 48. Pin 39 will then be withdrawn and mast 20 rotated by 180 on itself to position the sail for operating the boat in the inverted position. To assist in releasing the mast, the latter may be made of a buoyant structure which floats on water.

If the mast is too heavy to be manoeuvered into the vertical position by hand, a manual or power-driven winch or a hydraulic device may be provided. The precise mechanism for doing such work would depend on the weight of the mast.

It is to be understood that when other means are used for propelling the boat, suitable arrangement will have to be designed to enable propulsion of the boat with the hulls inverted.

Although the invention has been disclosed with reference to hulls which are symmetrical about a central horizontal plane, it is to be understood that non-symmetrical configurations may be used including hulls incorporating centre plates, the only limitation being that the hulls be interconnected by a deck structure approximately midway between the top and the bottom of the hulls to permit the deck structure to remain above water when the boat is inverted as well as when upright so as to permit the boat to float and operate effectively in both positions. It is also to be understood that the hulls could be made of inflatable material.

Iclaim:

1. A boat comprising two or more hulls having opposite top and bottom surfaces of similar contour, a deck structure interconnecting said hulls at a point approximately midway between the top and bottom of each hull, a sail for propelling the boat, a mast for supporting said sail, and means for relocating said sail at sea when the boat is in an inverted position including means for mounting said mast for rotation about said deck structure to a mirror image of the position of the mast when the boat is upright so as to permit said boat to operate effectively when inverted and when upright.

2. A boat as defined in claim 1, wherein said hulls are symmetrical about a central horizontal plane passing therethrough.

3. A boat as defined in claim 2, wherein said deck structure interconnects said hulls at a point belonging to said central horizontal plane.

4. A boat structure as defined in claim 3, wherein the configuration of the cross-section of each of said hulls is that of 5 two scalene triangles having a common side lying in said central horizontal plane.

5. A boat structure as defined in claim 4, wherein the longest side of said scalene triangles form the side walls of said hulls to which is secured said deck structure.

6. A boat structure as defined in claim 5, wherein the configuration of said hulls is such that a vertical plane passing through the apexes of said scalene triangles divides the common side of said scalene triangles in the ratio of 1:3.

7. A boat as defined in claim 1, wherein said deck structure comprises front and back tubular cross-members secured at each end thereof to the side walls of the hulls and a netting secured to said tubular cross-members.

8. A boat as defined in claim 7, wherein said means for mounting said mast comprises a hinge structure rotatably mounted on said front tubular cross-member and having two holes therein spaced by a step bearing secured on said front tubular member on each side of said hinge structure for guiding said hinge structure, a pin guide secured to one of said step bearings, and a pin adapted to be inserted through said guide and through one of the two holes in said hinge structure for locking said hinge structure in a position suitable for fixing the mast in the upright position when the boat is inverted as well as in the normal sailing position. 

1. A boat comprising two or more hulls having opposite top and bottom surfaces of similar contour, a deck structure interconnecting said hulls at a point approximately midway between the top and bottom of each hull, a sail for propelling the boat, a mast for supporting said sail, and means for relocating said sail at sea when the boat is in an inverted position including means for mounting said mast for rotation about said deck structure to a mirror image of the position of the mast when the boat is upright so as to permit said boat to operate effectively when inverted and when upright.
 2. A boat as defined in claim 1, wherein said hulls are symmetrical about a central horizontal plane passing therethrough.
 3. A boat as defined in claim 2, wherein said deck structure interconnects said hulls at a point belonging to said central horizontal plane.
 4. A boat structure as defined in claim 3, wherein the configuration of the cross-section of each of said hulls is that of two scalene triangles having a common side lying in said central horizontal plane.
 5. A boat structure as defined in claim 4, wherein the longest side of said scalene triangles form the side walls of said hulls to which is secured said deck structure.
 6. A boat structure as defined in claim 5, wherein the configuration of said hulls is such that a vertical plane passing through the apexes of said scalene triangles divides the common side of said scalene triangles in the ratio of 1:3.
 7. A boat as defined in claim 1, wherein said deck structure comprises front and back tubular cross-members secured at each end thereof to the side walls of the hulls and a netting secured to said tubular cross-members.
 8. A boat as defined in claim 7, wherein said means for mounting said mast comprises a hinge structure rotatably mounted on said front tubular cross-member and having two holes therein spaced by 180*, a step bearing secured on said front tubular member on each side of said hinge structure for guiding said hinge structure, a pin guide secured to one of said step bearings, and a pin adapted to be inserted through said guide and through one of the two holes in said hinge structure for locking said hinge structure in a position suitable for fixing the mast in the upright position when the boat is inverted as well as in the normal sailing position. 